Top 20 of 2012: 16. First Aid Kit – The Lion’s Roar

Sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg first came to our attention with a YouTube cover of “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” by Fleet Foxes, sung in the woods of their native Sweden. It was wonderful, but it wouldn’t last, right?

Wrong. Now, two albums and an EP later, First Aid Kit aren’t going anywhere. Their sophomore LP, The Lion’s Roar, proves that the Söderberg sisters aren’t just a flash-in-the-pan Internet sensation; they’re the real deal.

The Lion’s Roar features contributions from James Felice (The Felice Brothers) and all three members of Bright Eyes — Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott — but the sisters are at their best on their own.The album’s first single, “Emmylou,” is their best yet and definitely one of the year’s finest.